The Susanne: Multifamily At 3833 Dunlavy St.

[Jax]

Or late. I always go at 11 pm and it's great! Not as many free samples but also not as many shoppers.

[HoustonMidtown]

Do as I do and go early before the masses arise.

Same here -- I go before 7:00am on the weekends and Im the only one there (except for the stockers)

[Subdude]

There was a fire on Thursday night on the fifth floor.

http://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/04-28-14-another-mysterious-montrose-luxury-apartment-fire-raises-questions-under-construction-spots-keep-going-up-in-flames/

 

 

[Sky-guy]

Too many fires lately. Especially in buildings under construction.

[Naviguessor]

Credit this one to Marvy. Not generally a big fan. But if this one was wood, it would've been another inferno. But, could've been much worse for the neighborhood.

[Subdude]

I'd be curious to hear what they determine the cause to be.  Is it just me, or has Montrose not had a problem with a lot of fires over the years?

 

 

[BigFootsSocks]

I'd be curious to hear what they determine the cause to be.  Is it just me, or has Montrose not had a problem with a lot of fires over the years?

I wonder if we're going to see an increase in fires due to the drought that's affecting 2/3's of Texas. Obviously the fire a few weeks ago was human error but we're also supposed to see a lack of rain this year...

[Jax]

[Urbannizer]

Construction 2014.05.19 4272-4 by ThirdCoastRyan on Flickr

[LarryDierker]

IMG_0909 by Not.Larry.Dierker, on Flickr

[Triton]

Went grocery shopping at HEB (like usual) and I figured I'd take this pic before I completely left:

 

2014-06-08 15.15.36 by marclongoria, on Flickr

[Triton]

Construction crew was waving "hi!" at me

 

2014-07-19 15.07.44 by marclongoria, on Flickr

 

2014-07-19 15.09.05 by marclongoria, on Flickr

[Nucleareaction]

Having gotten used to the parking lot and Fiesta here before, this thing is a BEAST for the area. Bodes well for future street front stores and walking traffic     

[citykid09]

This is really nice if you think about it. This area has gone from old run down apartments and a sleazy grocery store, to new urban apartments and a nice grocery store. If someone had moved away before the construction and came back they would not recognize the place.

[Naviguessor]

True. Miss the sleazy grocery store though.

[KinkaidAlum]

How is the Susanne and an HEB more urban than affordable, older apartments and a Fiesta that played dance the best dance mixes that side of NRG?

 

For me, it's a net loss for the area. Just another sign that the people who made Montrose desirable have been priced out while the area becomes sanitized.

[Avossos]

How is the Susanne and an HEB more urban than affordable, older apartments and a Fiesta that played dance the best dance mixes that side of NRG?

For me, it's a net loss for the area. Just another sign that the people who made Montrose desirable have been priced out while the area becomes sanitized.

This is what is called progress...

[Subdude]

How is the Susanne and an HEB more urban than affordable, older apartments and a Fiesta that played dance the best dance mixes that side of NRG?

 

For me, it's a net loss for the area. Just another sign that the people who made Montrose desirable have been priced out while the area becomes sanitized.

 

Due to a number of trends (economic recovery, population growth, wave of young people needing first-time housing etc) I suppose that the ongoing gentrification of much of the western inner loop area was inevitable.  That said, I feel sorry for the people that lived in those old apartments.  They got a raw deal on what could have been a great place to live.  It's interesting though to see Houston neighborhoods drastically evolve. 

[mollusk]

I knew someone who lived in the old apartments while they were still well maintained.  They were roomy, and had interesting touches such as stainless countertops in the kitchen.  I miss them, and the ones that used to be south of the Southwest Freeway and west of Buffalo Speedway, set into a nice oak grove.

[toxtethogrady]

Due to a number of trends (economic recovery, population growth, wave of young people needing first-time housing etc) I suppose that the ongoing gentrification of much of the western inner loop area was inevitable.  That said, I feel sorry for the people that lived in those old apartments.  They got a raw deal on what could have been a great place to live.  It's interesting though to see Houston neighborhoods drastically evolve. 

And Northside appears to be next.

[citykid09]

How is the Susanne and an HEB more urban than affordable, older apartments and a Fiesta that played dance the best dance mixes that side of NRG?

 

For me, it's a net loss for the area. Just another sign that the people who made Montrose desirable have been priced out while the area becomes sanitized.

 

I could understand if what was torn down was already walkable and urban, but it was a dirty old suburban style shopping center and old subruban style apartments. I know the HEB was really not built in an urban way, but it looks much better than a suburban strip center grocery store.

[KinkaidAlum]

So, urban is all about how something looks?

 

To me, urban isn't about a street scape. It's about diversity of people, places, and things. Urban is about shared experiences. It's about funky and unique spaces. The HEB is certainly prettier than the old Fiesta strip mall and the new apartments will certainly appeal to Rhonda Rolex more than the old ones, but that doesn't make them more urban by any stretch.

 

I also don't see how one parking lot being replaced by another represents progress. At the end of the day, all that happened here was one grocery store/strip mall became a wraparound apartment complex with a massive garage and one apartment complex with gorgeous trees and affordable rents became a massive grocery store with surface parking.

 

[Avossos]

So, urban is all about how something looks?

 

To me, urban isn't about a street scape. It's about diversity of people, places, and things. Urban is about shared experiences. It's about funky and unique spaces. The HEB is certainly prettier than the old Fiesta strip mall and the new apartments will certainly appeal to Rhonda Rolex more than the old ones, but that doesn't make them more urban by any stretch.

 

I also don't see how one parking lot being replaced by another represents progress. At the end of the day, all that happened here was one grocery store/strip mall became a wraparound apartment complex with a massive garage and one apartment complex with gorgeous trees and affordable rents became a massive grocery store with surface parking.

 

Rhonda Rolex will move out when this starts to get old, and run down... and then rents will be cheap again! and then it will either get a renovation or be demolished...

 

And thus is the cycle.

[Luminare]

I could understand if what was torn down was already walkable and urban, but it was a dirty old suburban style shopping center and old subruban style apartments. I know the HEB was really not built in an urban way, but it looks much better than a suburban strip center grocery store.

 

I agree with you on most of these points. Remember that this is Houston and that I'm pretty sure Lake Flato did whatever they could to make this HEB more urbanized and if you exclude the parking lot then it does function much better in an urban setting than the former Fiesta ever did. The HEB as a building engages more with the outside, the exterior isn't so hostile, the landscaping isn't bare, and is more oriented to where pedestrians don't feel intimidated by a mass of parking in front of the building. Instead it's to the side. The only beef I have with this building is that it completely rejects Alabama Street!

 

I also don't think to many people know the actual design intent of this building. They could only build in one part of the property and that was the part with no trees. They were instructed to maintain the collection of oak trees on the property so the only thing that could go there would be a parking lot. The parking lot is only that big because it's the number spaces needed due to code and per the city of Houston.

 

So, urban is all about how something looks?

 

To me, urban isn't about a street scape. It's about diversity of people, places, and things. Urban is about shared experiences. It's about funky and unique spaces. The HEB is certainly prettier than the old Fiesta strip mall and the new apartments will certainly appeal to Rhonda Rolex more than the old ones, but that doesn't make them more urban by any stretch.

 

I also don't see how one parking lot being replaced by another represents progress. At the end of the day, all that happened here was one grocery store/strip mall became a wraparound apartment complex with a massive garage and one apartment complex with gorgeous trees and affordable rents became a massive grocery store with surface parking.

 

I'm sorry but this needs to be done. This whole area that you claim to be "urban" is not urban. It's suburban in ever sense of the word which is why it's changing so quickly because it doesn't have the proper infrastructure, streetscape, housing, utilities, or cohesion to be integrated into an urban framework. Almost none of the current architecture that is in this area is urban. I mean this was one of the first suburban areas in Houston and it never changed in the 50-60 years it's been there so whatever change you make to it is going to be seismic in nature.

 

Now if you have ever seen any other post I have made in this forum then you will understand that I loath parking in general, but in this context it was inescapable! I understand that it's going to be hard for anyone to just simply accept such drastic change, but when something stubbornly refuses to change for again, 50-60 years! It's going to be a rough ride. If you want to please provide us with examples, maybe even pics of how awesome places to live the old apartments were (other than affordable), or just how awesome a Fiesta grocery store is. To go even further what made that fiesta unique or what made the apartments more unique. This is more interesting than simply whining about change. Especially when the HEB has been built and the other building is nearing completion.....So then everything you are saying is simply complaining and doesn't add anything to what was there or what is there now. Pretty much just stop sounding like a hipster or hipsterish (btw this isn't personal just an analysis). You quite frankly sound like one of those guys complaining about their favorite band hitting the mainstream -.- It's tiring...

 

If that ruffles your feathers a bit...sorry I'm just saying it like it is. It adds nothing of value to this thread at all. The questions I put forward would be more interesting. History? Culture? Stories? Residence? not 'man that area has become a total sell out' = lame.

[KinkaidAlum]

Spare me the lecture. My feathers aren't ruffled by a new HEB or a 7 story stucco apartment midrise. My feathers are ruffled because people claim these changes are a march towards "urbanity."

 

Of course West Alabama @ Dunlavy was "suburban" in 2005. News flash, it's still suburban in built form in 2014. Houston isn't a traditionally "urban" city by nature. Never has been and wont be for a very long time if we continue to judge ourself against cities that were built out before the automobile.

 

As for the infrastructure you mentioned, what changes occurred here? Were the streets widened? Were bike lanes added back? Were bus routes added? Were sidewalks expanded? Was light rail built nearby on Richmond? 

 

None of these things happened. The only changes these two developments will give us is more traffic. I really don't even want to complain about this one when Kirby is right down the way. Just imagine Kirby when West Ave is built out, Hanover River Oaks is completed, Kirby Grove opens, the strip center at Richmond is replaced by wraparound apartments, and the Collection comes out of the ground. Welcome to the Westside of LA...

 

 

 

 

[Luminare]

How about you spare everyone your pathetic pessimism! This thread is in the "Going Up" section....not the 'tearing down' section or 'snobbery corner' section. I mean its almost funny how you have a personal vendetta for this project lol. Just breath and let it go. I like debate, but your wasting your complaining on a project that is almost complete.

 

Btw just because you say that Houston isn't "traditionally urban" doesn't mean that it can't aspire to be more than what it is today. That's like being a bully or just putting down someone because they are different. It's like saying "you will never amount to anything". Then again I just don't understand that kind of thinking....I just don't.

[BigFootsSocks]

Luminare you obviously have a strong grasp on architecture from the knowledge you display on the forums and it's obvious that you have some sort of job or hobby in architecture. However, that doesn't mean you can throw around your opinions as fact based purely on your own grasp of architecture. This guy brings up some great points and instead if acting offended by these difficult but still important questions, you could've addressed them in a more civilized tone. You say it wasn't personal but you had the tone of an adult scolding a child and kinda come off as a prick. You're better than that dude.

[HoustonIsHome]

Hey, this is a friendly forum. Please get back to being nice. Both sides have valid points, air them and move on.

[Subdude]

How about you spare everyone your pathetic pessimism! This thread is in the "Going Up" section....not the 'tearing down' section or 'snobbery corner' section. I mean its almost funny how you have a personal vendetta for this project lol. Just breath and let it go. I like debate, but your wasting your complaining on a project that is almost complete.

 

Btw just because you say that Houston isn't "traditionally urban" doesn't mean that it can't aspire to be more than what it is today. That's like being a bully or just putting down someone because they are different. It's like saying "you will never amount to anything". Then again I just don't understand that kind of thinking....I just don't.

 

People are allowed to be pessimistic here.  I'm not seeing where that amounts to being a bully, and I don't see where he put anyone down.  Back to the topic..

 

 

 

Yesterday Urbannizer (my HAIF hero, as it were) posted this interesting report link in the 1111 Travis topic:

http://www.downtownhouston.org/site_media/uploads/attachments/2014-08-12/HDMD_Traditional_Retail_Base_Case_072514.FINAL.pdf

 

If you flip to about page 21 in the report there is a map of inner-loop average income by census tract.  It looks much as one would expect, with a distinct east-west divide.  Note that the part of Montrose roughly between Shepherd, Westheimer, Alabama and 59 is an island of lower income surrounded by higher (to the north, east and west) and much higher income (to the south and northwest) neighborhoods. 

 

To me this indicates that that that pocket of land is going to be under a lot of redevelopment/gentrification pressure.  I don't think this particularly means any urbanization, but I do think this sub-neighborhood is going to be transformed over the next decade.  

 

 

 

 

[Luminare]

First off, apologizes. I didn't want it to go that way, but I guess it just did. I'm sorry.

 

As far as the posted link. That area has been one of the last to see anything happen for a while. I mean it's sensible to expect a lot of development along westheimer and near river oaks, but for some reason this one didn't really get touched until now. There are some nice little houses in this area, but its just hard to imagine that this area will remain the same in like a decade or so. Variety is key to the success of this area. Hopefully developers understand the demographics and curtail development to that. There are plenty of good examples of new construction benefiting a more affordable clientele, but I think the lack of planning by the city, and perhaps reluctance by the people who live there now, aren't really helping the situation. The boom of the market right now is so fast that it doesn't really allow for diversification or a stratification of residency. Marketing is a factor as well. I remember in the Kirby River Oaks thread that one person said he/she was tired of things being labeled "luxury" and it's language such as this that might spook lower middle to upper lower income brackets.

 

I think that developers can learn a lot from Hogg's who developed early houston communities and advertised them as places where anyone could homestead.